Josh Harrison doesn’t stand still. Not behind the decks, not in the studio, and certainly not in conversation. The Barcelona-based DJ and curator has spent six years building a global brand defined by high-energy, percussion-driven, vocal-heavy house music. He has played Ministry of Sound, Bondi Beach for Sydney Mardi Gras, Sala Apolo, and Fabrik Madrid. But 2026 is shaping up to be his biggest year yet. This summer, he drops his debut single “Papi Narcicista,” a sweaty and unapologetic dancefloor anthem with a middle finger to the critics. Meanwhile, his club night Track at Sala Upload has become one of Barcelona’s most electric underground parties, selling out night after night. We sat down with Josh to talk London versus Barcelona, the vulnerability of releasing your own music, dancing on Amsterdam canal boats, and why being “Fucking Young” is a state of mind. Josh was also shot exclusively for Fucking Young! magazine by Pablo Castillo. Check out the full story below:
Your journey from London’s underground scene to becoming a Barcelona-based curator is fascinating. How have the energy and crowds in Barcelona shaped your sound differently from your early days in London?
The two cities have very different energies. London’s scene is bursting with creativity, but Barcelona has always felt like home to me and a huge source of inspiration. I lived in Barcelona before when I was 21, and moved back years later and I’ve been here since we started our residency at Sala Apolo. The energy on a Barcelona dancefloor is unrivaled; the crowds here are really educated in music, they party late, often regardless of the day of the week, and they really know how to move to music. As a DJ, that’s what gives you the energy; when you feel a crowd connecting with your set and your music, something clicks and the dance floor becomes a place where people are fully living in the moment, forgetting any worries. I feel that moment in almost every gig I play here in Barcelona.
You’ve built a globally recognized brand around high-energy, vocal-driven, percussion-led tech house. What’s the secret to keeping that energy fresh and not repetitive, both in your sets and in your productions?
A lot of what keeps my sets and song selections fresh comes from my background as a dancer. I spent about 15 years immersed in Latin American dance, so rhythm and movement are the first things I am drawn to and what I think will make people move. That chapter in my life gave me a deep appreciation for percussion, groove and the relationship between the music and the dancefloor. It also gave me an appreciation for the different rich cultural traditions that have shaped dance music and the way rhythm brings people together, it was an incredible education in the history of music that I am so grateful to have had from a really young age.
As the founder of both Track and OUTHAUS, you’re not just a DJ but a curator of spaces. What do you look for when creating a club night that truly feels “underground” in 2026?
Making a space feel immediately comfortable for people to express themselves is crucial. Self-expression was the first rule when I started OUTHAUS in 2019. I think the scene is leaning more into smaller spaces now, intimate moments that have more of a community feel that don’t feel judgemental or cliquey, but allow you to connect offline. This is something that we’ve been overwhelmed by at Track; the crowd that comes is super creative, I spend a lot of time on the dancefloor and smoking area talking to people and we have so many interesting creatives come to the party; stylists, producers, dancers, people who are really creatively connected. It’s also a space where people have their phones away; it’s not something we demand, but it happens organically, they are just really present in the moment.
Let’s talk about your debut single, “Papi Narcicista,” coming this summer. Can you break down the meaning behind the name and the story or emotion that inspired the track?
I wanted my first track to carry the same unapologetic energy that the dancefloors I curate have become known for. I really wanted my first song to carry an attitude of self-celebration, hedonism and really feeling yourself in the moment…and a “fuck you” to people who think that’s Narcissistic. I knew I wanted a fast-paced, middle-of-the-dance-floor, sweaty feel in the rhythm when making “Papi Narcicista,” as well as tons of attitude in the vocal, inspired by my music background and the dancefloor feeling that we have at Track. I can’t wait to play it at my gigs in Europe, the UK, Australia and Canada this Summer.
You’ve played iconic rooms like Ministry of Sound and Sala Apolo. How does the pressure of releasing your own music for the first time compare to the pressure of headlining a major club night?
It’s a very different pressure! As with any creative medium though, creating something and putting it out there is extremely vulnerable. I feel less pressure playing in the club now and focus more on enjoying myself, which is what the crowd connects to. I’m really not one of those DJ’s that stands still, I dance a LOT when I play. But releasing my own music feels more vulnerable than that. It’s my first time producing and I am a total perfectionist and so I set the bar really high for myself and hope people respond to it. I’ve played the song already to some peers and have had great feedback so I’m so excited to see people connect to it in a club.
Congratulations on the success of your Track club night at Sala Upload. For those who haven’t been, describe the atmosphere, the crowd, and that one moment from a recent night that told you, “This is working.”
Track is naughty, sweaty, fast. Our motto is dance, sweat, connect. I started it as I saw a space in the scene in Barcelona for people who wanted the type of electronic music we play. By this point, I had a really good understanding of the scene and so much demand from the community for something like Track, I knew it was time for me to bring something new to the market. The response has been crazy. We have a really loyal following already, and the feedback is always worth it. There is a real sense of community in the club; most people know each other, and have returned bringing more friends each time. That is what we aimed to achieve, but it is not easy to start. Our DJ lineups come from different underground scenes and I’ve had some of my favourite Barcelona-based DJs with us already at Track; we play tech-house, techno and bounce, programmed with my business partner and friend Alejandro Asencio, who has an incredible finger on the pulse in many different music scenes. I’ve felt overwhelming pride from even our first edition. The support and trust that the community has given us have meant everything to us; we are constantly going to raise the bar as we grow. Our Easter edition was wild, fully sold out, we had people dancing around the DJ booth and dancefloor, dancing with each other like crazy, it was such a moment.
You’ve played massive stages like Sydney Mardi Gras on Bondi Beach and Fabrik Madrid. How does the intimacy or energy of your own residency night compare to those giant festival moments?
Bigger stages vs your own residencies are totally different energies. I love being as close to the crowd as I can be, feeling like I am on the dancefloor with them, but of course, at festivals that’s not always possible, so you connect more to the music and the feeling of what the songs you are playing are saying. For me it’s actually less about the size of the crowd but more about how much they are connecting with you; even if you are on a stage super high up and away from the crowd like I was at Sydney Mardi Gras, you can still feel the energy of 15,000 people like a 500 person intimate club; if they are locked in and dancing with you, you can feel it.
What’s the weirdest venue you’ve ever played?
Less weird but always unique is Amsterdam Pride. DJing on a canal boat for the parade has always been one of my highlights of the year. It’s a truly unique setting as you literally have to bend down every time you go under a bridge, which is a scene when you have 10 dancers and a floating DJ booth that you are lying down next to until it clears. I’ve had some amazing memories DJing for Calvin Klein, Jean Paul-Gaultier and W Amsterdam, who make the most incredible boats for the parade. It’s always so unique, some of my favourite Pride memories actually. This year I will be playing at World Pride Music Festival in Amsterdam alongside some incredible names, including Honey Dijon, Purple Disco Machine, Oliver Heldens, LP Giobbi and more. It’s going to be a really big one!
You’ve cultivated a loyal international following since 2019. How do you stay connected to your community beyond social media, especially as a DJ who splits time between curating, producing, and touring?
I think being on the scene and going out yourself is really important when you produce your own club nights and music, especially to spaces that are not your usual scene. Going out and seeing what people are dancing to is so important, and you need to experience things as a customer on the dancefloor yourself. I spend a lot of time speaking to people when I go out. I always welcome feedback about the club nights I curate. Listening to people, seeing what excites them and how they can have input into making your club nights better themselves is a win-win and something I have always taken on board in every project I’ve been involved in.
With “Papi Narcicista” on the horizon, what’s your dream next step after the single drops?
I’m already working on my next two songs, now that the ball is rolling with producing, I am so inspired and ready to let people hear what my sound is. It adds another layer of connecting to your audience, which is going to be so special, and honestly quite emotional. I have DJ’s who I would love to collaborate with, there are already some really exciting conversations that have begun that I can’t believe (more to come on that!) and I’m so ready for this new chapter of my own music being out in the world. But for now, it’s all about having a Narcicista Summer and raising the bar for our Track community.
And finally, what’s “Fucking Young”?
Fucking Young is totally about enjoying the moment you are in right now, without regret or worrying about the future. We live in a culture now that bids constantly for our attention, it’s really easy to move the focus off of yourself and into what other people are doing or to things we are told we should be worried about. But bringing that attention back to yourself, feeling every element, with all of your senses, to the chapter you are in right now in life, in full colour, the ups and the downs and going straight through it all, is Fucking Young.
